Terror Night

The empty mansion of a legendary movie star who hasn't been seen in twenty years is set for demolition. A biker couple and a group of teenagers decide to give the place a visit. Once inside the old place the characters meet grisly deaths at the hands of a killer dressed as the movie star's film's characters. I found this to be a pretty enjoyable '80's slasher film, likable due to the fact that there is a lot of messy killings, a tight pace, creative kills, better than average acting from some of the actors, a creepy enough setting, and some out of place cameo appearances. If your only a fan of current horror movies then you probably won't like this, but if your an '80's slasher fan and you haven't seen this, then put this on your to-do list. Features chopped off heads and hands, a guy torn in two, impaling on a wooden fence, woman falling on spikes, and lotsa blood (hence, the title of the movie. It was filmed as Terror Night). The teen couple that makes it to the end of this movie is played by the same actor and actress who played a teen couple that gets murdered in the beginning of Friday The 13th Part 7. Three Stars.

Shot in 1987, trashy slasher Terror Night (AKA Bloody Movie) didn't see the light of day for almost two decades, most likely due to copyright issues (the film contains lots of clips from old movies). For this reason, it has probably flown under the radar of many a slasher fan, a shame because the film is quite a lot of fun, delivering plenty of grisly deaths plus gratuitous nudity courtesy of pornstar Jamie Summers and scream queen Michele Bauer.

The plot is basic: a group of twenty-somethings pay a visit to the apparently-abandoned mansion of silent movie star Lance Hayward, who mysteriously vanished in the 1940s. The old building is also visited the same night by a horny biker couple. Unfortunately for the trespassers, Hayward is still haunting the house, assuming the different identities of his film characters to slay those who dare venture into his home.

Director Nick Marino directs with little style or imagination, but the multiple murders are fun, Hayward despatching of his victims in a variety of ways whilst dressed as a gangster, Robin Hood, a knight etc. The first death is a doozy, as a man is pulled in two by a car, his legs dragged off by the vehicle leaving behind a bloody torso; other murders include Dan Haggerty skewered by a lance, a fairly decent decapitation, a woman falling into in a pit of stakes, and a guy thrown out of a window to become impaled on a picket fence!

The film is also notable for the fact that none of the protagonists make it out alive, Hayward sauntering off into the night, presumably still waiting for the sequel that never happened.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Three couples decide to party the night away at the abandoned estate of film star Lance Hayward. Hayward was a Fairbanks and Flynn type in the 1920s, but has been missing for the past 20 years so his place is scheduled to be demolished. The kids encounter an unruly biker couple (the female half being Michelle Bauer) just before Hayward starts killing them in methods patterned after his top films. This is another one of those "how did this get made" films, but is an easy way to pass 90 minutes. There is plenty of graphic gore and some nudity (from Bauer, naturally). The old Hollywood star angle could have worked better had they put more thought into it and the production benefits from use of several Fairbanks productions. It is never explained why he is still so agile in 1987 or how he can survive a huge fire with no problem. Top billed John Ireland (who is the last incarnation of Hayward) and Cameron Mitchell get rough 5 minutes of screen time. Also top billed Alan Hale, Aldo Ray and Dan Haggerty get roughly 3 minutes of screen time each.

Released on an inexpensive DVD as "Bloody Movie" and an even cheaper DVD under its original title, perhaps people will get a chance to see this one. It's not bad!

A 1920s film star who never made it to sound pictures hasn't been seen for years, since he sold the rights to his films (he'd bought them all) to television. Think Errol Flynn, and in fact clips from his films are shown and his estate is thanked in the credits.

People get killed in ways people died in the star's movies. During the killings, clips from relevant pictures are shown, as well as the poster for the movie, and piles of still from it. The killer is dressed as "The Gaucho" and kills people with a Zorro-like blade, etc.

Two bikers, and a group of young people separately break into the star's estate, and they too get killed. The star would be 90 if he is still alive....

Really pretty enjoyable. The older stars in the movie: Alan Hale, Cameron Mitchell, etc. have only brief cameos.

The optimist in me likes to believe that every cheap and low-rated horror movie must at least have one good reason to give it a chance! In case of "Bloody Movie" (or "Terror Night", if you prefer), there are several reasons, but the most obvious one is the massive time lapse between the wrap of production (in 1987) and the inconspicuous release (in 2004). The simple fact that the film remained shelved for nearly 20 years, allegedly due to issues regarding the legal rights of the used stock footage, already makes it intriguing enough for avid horror geeks to seek it out. It also means that, since "Bloody Movie" features a lot of ageing cult/horror actors in small cameo roles, practically half of the entire cast was already dead by the time the film finally saw the light of day officially; - including the uncredited co-director André de Toth!

That's interesting, to say the least, but even if you don't have a bizarre fetish for weird trivia, "Bloody Movie" is a fun, gory and surprisingly original slice of typical 80s horror. The basic premise of an actual (horror) film star going berserk and embarking on an actual killing spree has perhaps been done before ("Theater of Blood", "Frightmare", "Fade to Black", ...) but "Bloody Movie" definitely adds something unique. The killer - Lance Hayworth - is supposedly a 90-year-old idol from the silent film era, who mysteriously vanished 20 years ago already, but returned now that real estate sharks are planning to knock down his old but prestigious Hollywood mansion. Unfortunately for them, six youngsters and a horny biker couple also decided to perpetrate into Hayworth's old house the same night.

The murders are, apart from delightfully gruesome, very creative because each of them is meant to be a homage to one of Hayworth's silent film classics. He thus uses a variety of awesome weapons (spears, spikes, bow & arrow, picket fences, ...) and the murders are interspersed with stock footage and clips from old swashbuckler films, which I personally thought was a nice touch. The names of the B-movie legends in the cast are attractive, but don't be misled. Cameron Mitchell, for instance, is in the film for exactly three minutes (between minute 1h09 - 1h12) and also the appearances of Aldo Ray, Dan "Grizzly Addams" Haggerty, and Alan Hale Jr. are extremely brief. Even John Ireland, as the culprit, only steps in during the third act of the film and he's barely recognizable. One cast member who does show herself prominently, on the other hand, is the gorgeous Michelle Bauer with a long and joyfully gratuitous full-frontal nudity scene! Her ravishing body, the catchy opening song and the fair amount of good 80s gore make "Bloody Movie" a worthwhile and recommendable slasher!